


Suburban Secrets

by kamidontarchive



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Angst, Canon, Child Abuse, Drama, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-01-14
Updated: 2005-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-27 02:49:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 18,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12072066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamidontarchive/pseuds/kamidontarchive
Summary: Justin flees from his abusive parents. He has promised his sisters that he will come back for them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

“I promise I’ll come back for you, but I can’t stay. You know he will kill me if I stay,” I say to my sisters as I stand beside the window in their bedroom. Our parents had long ago fallen asleep and I was making my great escape. 

“Don’t leave us Justy, we don’t know what to do without you,” Lacey said as Kara clung to her side. They were six and eight years old and did not deserve to know or have seen so much in their short years.

“You’ll be okay; mom and dad hurt me more than they hurt you. Plus, if I took you now they would just call the police. I am gonna go and get a job and when I get some money I will come back for you,” I say as I hug and kiss them both before swinging my legs out of the window and climbing down the lattice. I hit the ground and waited for my sisters to throw down my duffel bag.

It hit the ground with a thud and the porch light turned on quickly, illuminating the darkness so fast I almost thought my legs would lock in place. I grabbed my bag and took off down the street, running as fast as I possibly could. I could hear the angry shouts behind me.

“Justin, JUSTIN…GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE,” I heard my father scream into the darkness. The gunshots rang through the air but I kept my feet moving. I turned the corner as the final shot whizzed pass me and hit the stop sigh with a ‘clang.’

I have never run so fast in all my life, I ran until my muscles burned and I could barely breathe. I ran toward where I thought I could feel a little safer, I had no idea where that might be. I stopped running when my body gave out; I leaned up against a brick wall and tried desperately to catch my breath.

“Looks like you could use a glass of water sweetie,” a voice said. I looked up into a smiling face. I knew that the bruises and welts on my body and face were obvious and there was no mistaking the scar that marked me from my cheek to the base of my neck. I shifted uncomfortably and hoped he did not ask any questions.

“Yeah, water would be nice,” I said as I pushed myself off the ground and shifted the duffel bag that hung around my torso. I wanted to keep as much pressure off the fresh bruises that marked my body as possible.

“Come with me then sweet thing and we’ll get you some, you can even meet the gang, they are like family and something tells me that you’re in need of some family,” he said as we crossed the street. 

“By the way, what’s your name cutie?”

“Justin…Justin Taylor,” I tell him.

“Well Justin, Justin Taylor…I am the fabulous Emmett Honeycutt welcome to freedom, otherwise known as Liberty Avenue,” he said as he did a twirl and opened the door of the diner. I had no idea how much my life would change.


	2. Suburban Secrets

The lights in the diner are so bright that I immediately became more aware of my appearance. I held my head down and watched as my feet stepped over the tiles, when we came to a stop I looked up a little.

“Go ahead and sit down sweetie, the seat’s not gonna rim ya and if it does we must switch sides,” he said with a laugh. I decide that I like Emmett. I saw a woman in a red wig come over and pull out her ordering pad.

“Who is this cute thing that you’re trying to hide?” she asks and I can feel her looking at me.

“This is Justin Taylor, Justin this is Debbie. She is a mother to every boy who needs one,” he declares and I look up at her. I see her take in the bruises. 

“Holy shit, who did that to your face?” she asks not so quietly and I can feel myself shrink.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I say and run toward the back. I throw my bag down on the floor and lean against the sink.

**  
“Emmett, what’s his story?” 

“I have no idea but it must not be a good one. Did you see the scar on his cheek and neck? I don’t think he is a common street kid, but I can guarantee we'll find out,” he tells her.

“You make sure you keep an eye on him, I smell danger and trouble following him and that’s never a good thing,” she said and walked away. ‘Yeah there is a story there,’ she thought as she took the next tables order.  
**  
I splashed water on my face and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.   
__  
“You ever leave this house and I’ll find you. I will find you and I will kill you,” he had said as he dug the blade into my face and down my throat.  
  
The closing of a stall door causes me to jerk back to the present. I looked up into the mirror and locked eyes with the most handsome man I had ever seen. I pulled my hand away from the scar; my hand always seems to travel there when I think. He stepped up close to my ear and strangely enough I felt completely relaxed for the first time in all my eighteen years. 

“I know that face,” he whispered. 

“Never give them the satisfaction of knowing that they can hurt you,” he said as he looked at my reflection and his left hand brushed the scar on my face. He walked out the door and I felt my heart follow. ‘That man is going to change your life’ I heard a voice whisper.


	3. Suburban Secrets

I emerge from the bathroom with the little bit of pride I have left. I look at the table that I was sitting at and the handsome man from the bathroom is sitting there along with four other people that were not there before. I step up to the table and Emmett jumps up, wrapping an arm around me.

“This yummy thing is Justin, Justin Taylor. Justin this is Ted, Michael, Ben and Brian,” he said pointing to each one as he named them. I could tell from there overly happy response that I had been the topic of conversation.

“Sit the fuck down Sunshine, I am ready to eat,” Brian said. I slid in next to him and was glad that he did not treat me like I was covered in bruises.

The same red headed woman came by and this time she took the orders and talked to me happily. ‘Oh yeah they had definitely been talking about me’ I think. I barely hear the guys as they talk endlessly, all I know is that I don’t have any money and I don’t have any place to stay. I drown out all the sound around me and when I finally come back down to earth I see that only Brian and I are left in the booth and he is sitting quietly with a toothpick in his mouth. I jumped up quickly and moved to the other side of the booth.

“I was wondering when you were gonna come back,” he says as he looks at me. His eyes seem to beg for my life’s story.

“Where did everyone go?” I ask as I look at the table. 

“They went to Babylon, the gay dance club.”

“I know what it is,” I say as I tear a napkin to pieces. I can feel him burning a hole into me.

“So what do you plan to do?” he asks. “You obviously are not going home so what’s your plan?” 

“I have two sisters, I need to get a job and some money so that I can go back and get them.”

“Does he beat them too?” he asks and it is not in a tone of pity or remorse, it is in a tone of genuine concern and I feel myself falling deeper. ‘Loving is dangerous, you loved them once’ I hear the voice say.

“Not just him, her too,” I say as I slide out of the booth and walk out the diner.  
**  
“Did he say anything Brian?” Debbie asked as she slid into the unoccupied space.

“He didn’t have to; I already know some of his story. I lived a version myself. When he comes back feed him and make sure he eats it,” he told her as he paid for his food and left her two hundred dollars to cover Justin.

“Do you think he’ll come back?”

“I know he will,” he said and left the diner.


	4. Suburban Secrets

I curl up on the cardboard box behind the dumpster and will my body to relax, the feat never seemed more impossible. Thoughts whirled through my head of what I could do for money. I had never had to work before; my parents kept up the illusion of the perfect family. They never once showed any hatred of us in front of their friends but they knew, they all knew and none of them would say a word.

The perfect suburban secret, what went on behind closed doors was no one else’s business and they kept to that code. I finally felt the tension leave my body as sleep took over. I feared sleep, too many times had I been woken up in the middle of the night for something that they swore I did. But you can only fight sleep for so long before it claims you. I follow the white rabbit into the hole where my subconscious ruled with an iron fist.  
 _  
“Why is there an A- on this report card?” she asked and I did not know what to do, speaking had gotten me many black eyes and staying silent was not helping the number. I took the lesser of two evils and decided to stay quiet._

_“So now you have nothing to say, you are such a stupid shit Justin. I should have got rid of you before I heard the first heartbeat,” she said as she took a sip of her fourth cocktail of the afternoon._

_“I tried my best,” I squeaked out and before the words could leave my lips completely I felt her hand connect with my face. The blood pooled down from where her ring had punctured my skin. My mouth clamped shut as she hit me again and this time it was with such force that I fell through the glass of the coffee table. When I came to the sun was pouring onto my face and my father was standing over me._

_“Clean up this mess and bring me a beer,” he said as he stepped over my legs and went into the basement._  
  
I jerked awake and took in my surroundings, I looked at my watch and saw that it was only five o’clock in the morning. I had only got five hours of sleep; I reached for my bag and found only an empty space. “Shit, SHIT, SHIT,” I said to no one as I curled my legs into my chest and cried into my arms. A couple of hours later I was all cried out and decided to go to the park. I sat on the grass and thought about what I was gonna do. I heard the footsteps before I saw the person and I knew who it was. He sat next to me on the ground in his Armani suit and rested his arms on his knees.

“Fuck tears, fuck pity and fuck them. You can do anything you want to do, if you want your sisters to be safe then get up off your ass, get a job and do something about it,” he said.

“Where do I start?”

“What can you do?”

I took a minute to think, no one had ever cared to ask me that before. “I am a pretty good artist,” I said quietly. 

“Never give yourself less credit then you deserve,” he said looking at me and tilting my chin so that I looked right in his face. 

“Never look down always look at people in the eye, you are as good as they are so don’t lower your head.”

“I am a damn good artist,” I say as I look right in his eyes and smile a little.

“Then you start by asking me for a job,” he said as he let go of my chin.


	5. Suburban Secrets

“Ask you for a job, what do you do? And why would you give me a job, you don’t even know me,” I ask.

“I own an advertising agency called Kinnetik and I do know you. I know that you ran to try and get something better for you and your sisters,” he tells me. 

“I know that your gonna come on to work today as a paid intern and you’re gonna show me some of what you can do,” he said as he stood up and dusted what little dirt he could see from his pants. He reached down and pulled me up. 

“Let’s get going the boss can’t be late,” he said as we walked back to his car.   
**  
“Have you seen this boy?” Craig said as he held up Justin’s picture outside the diner. Debbie had been watching the man that looked so much like Justin for the last thirty minutes. ‘I hope he does not come around right now’ she thought as he reached for the handle and stepped inside. He looked over all the faces in the diner, studying each one to see if it was Justin.

“Can I help you?” Debbie asked him as he stepped up to the counter, he smelled like money and lots of it.

“I am looking for my son, have you seen him?”

“No sir, I don’t think I have,” she told him as he showed her the picture. 

“If you see him tell him that we miss him and that it would be in his best interest to come back home,” he said before he left the diner and got into his car. 

‘Shit, I knew that trouble was following that boy,’ she thought to herself.  
**  
“Wow this is amazing, I love that you converted the baths into an office; that is so original.” 

“Yeah I thought it would be a nice change,” Brian said as he watched Justin take in Kinnetik. He had never felt this drawn to another person in all his life; he knew that he loved Justin. He looked at the world with a freshness that he was trying to keep from being completely tainted. He knew he was in love and for the first time he did not mind one bit.

“This is where you’re going to work,” Brian said as he motioned toward the art department. 

“You can start off by doing some sketches and things. Once I see how good you are then I’ll see exactly what I can have you do,” Brian told him. Justin took a seat and dove right into his work. Brian walked out and left him to his art. ‘Yeah I am definitely gone’ he thought.  
**  
The banging on the door got louder and louder as Lacey and Kara sat curled up together in the corner of their room. Their father was drunk and had been banging on the door for the past hour.

“Don’t cry Kara, you heard what Justy said, he’ll be back for us and then we will be happy,” Lacey told her little sister as the bedroom door flew open. 

“Where the fuck is your brother, I know you know,” he said as he grabbed the youngest of his daughters and shook her. Her body looked like a rag doll as he threw her to the floor and kicked her.

“Somebody in this room knows where he is and someone better tell me,” he said as he began to remove his belt.


	6. Suburban Secrets

“Where the fuck is he?” Jack yelled as the buck of his belt broke the skin of his oldest daughters back, she had thrown herself over her sister and took most of the hits. When she felt them suddenly stop she sat quietly and cried, afraid to look. The minutes passed and she finally looked toward the door, Craig was passed out in the hallway with his belt and his beer still in his hand.

“Kara…Kara, are you okay?” she asked her little sister quietly. She let go of a breath when she saw her eyes open. She pulled her close to her and rocked her as they cried. 

‘Justy’s coming back,’ she thought.  
**  
“These drawings are amazing Justin, you have a lot of talent,” Brian said as he looked over his work, in a matter of hours the young boy had produced numerous original pieces.

“Are you still in high school?”

“No, I graduated last year. I finished early and was the second highest in my class,” I tell him.

“Wow, so now what are you going to do? You have a lot of talent” he said to me as he looked me in the eye. 

“I never thought about it, I got pretty good SAT scores but my parents had already mapped out my future so I never had to think about it.”

“What about art school?”

“My dad says that’s for fairies,” I tell him. 

“You are a fairy,” he answers back.

“I just wanna be able to go back and get my sisters. I want to get them legally but if I don’t have a job or a place to stay its pointless even trying,” I say. I don’t know why I feel so open with him but I can’t help telling him everything.

“What if I told you that I would pay for you to get an education and that your salary should be enough to get you a nice apartment and that for every campaign you help on you get a percentage,” Brian said.

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious, I want my boyfriend to have a degree,” he tells me and I can feel the smile as it creeps across my face.

‘Pure Sunshine’ Brian thought.


	7. Suburban Secrets

Brian’s great, he gave me a job and even said I could stay with him until I found a place. I accepted because staying with him has to be better than living on the street. I watch my father’s car roll out the driveway and shortly after I see my mother’s go. 

The girls must still be inside. I wait a few minutes to make sure that they don’t come back before I run to the house. I put my key in the lock and the door easily opens, I walk inside with all the fear that I know better than to forget when I cross the threshold. I walk slowly through the house and up the stairs. I see that Lacey and Kara’s bedroom door is kicked in at the hinges and my breath catches in my throat.

“Kara, Lacey,” I call as I step through the door. I was about to call out to them again when I see them creep out of the closet.

“Justy, Justy…we thought you forgot about us,” Lacey said as Kara quietly hugged me. We stood their together, our souls mingled as one like we had done on so many nights. I could feel the blood through Lacey’s shirt as I pulled back. 

“Go and get the first aid kit from your drawer,” I told her as I picked Kara up and walked over to her bed. She is the weight of a feather and I can feel her bones.

“Did he hurt you?” I ask her and she just lies on her side and sucks her thumb, she always does that when she does not want to talk.

“He picked her up and shook her, and then he dropped her on the floor and kicked her. Then he hit us with the belt but I got most of that,” Lacey said as she sat on the bed and handed me the first aid kit. 

“Why?”

“He was looking for you,” she says in a quiet voice. I nod my head as the tears come forward and tell her to turn around, I clean her wounds silently. After I look over Kara I get them some food, I know that my mother forgets to feed them and often does not buy food. They eat like there is no tomorrow and soon Kara falls asleep.

“I found a job Lacey at this really nice place, working for a really good guy. I am getting paid and he says I can stay with him and go to school. When I get my first check I am going to come and get you and Kara,” I tell her and she smiles.

“I hope that is soon because he is really pissed now that you’re gone, he has been looking for you everywhere,” she tells me. 

“Everywhere, but in my own goddamn house.” I heard the voice and I could not move, could not even breathe. I turned around slowly, standing as I did and stood in front of him.

“Welcome home Justin,” is all I hear before I see black.


	8. Suburban Secrets

I can smell the alcohol as it pours over me; the smell will always be a negative one for me. I will my limbs to move as I feel him straddle my body. I bring my hands to my face and finally get them to cooperate as I wipe the beer off. 

“Fucking stupid fairy, where were you?” I hear him slur and for a moment I think it’s all a dream, until I feel the familiar cold of his switchblade run down my face. I keep my mouth shut and when he passes out and lands on top of me I let out the breath that I did not realize I was holding. I pushed him off of me and it was then that I realized how hard I was breathing. I pushed my body off the floor and looked at the time, hours had passed. He had knocked me out for hours. ‘Fuck waiting,’ I thought as I steadied myself on my feet and walked toward my sisters’ room. Lacey was sitting on the bed and Kara was still sleeping. 

“Put some clean clothes on, we’re leaving,” I said as I packed a bag full of their stuff.

“But what about the police, you said they would call the police,” she said as she put her shoes on. 

“They still might come but I don’t care, we are leaving now,” I tell her as she puts on her coat and I put on Kara’s coat and pick her up. We head down the stairs and out the door. I pause when I see my face in the hall mirror; the blood is flowing nicely and is the brightest of red as it falls over my pale skin. I hitch Kara higher on my shoulder and close the door quietly as I walk toward Liberty Avenue.  
**  
“Holy shit, are you okay?” Brian asked as he opened the door. 

“Do you mind if they stay for a couple of days?” I ask as I move past him. 

“No…not at all. Why don’t you go lay her down on the bed,” he tells me as Lacey looks him over. 

“You look nice, like you don’t hit people,” she said as she walked behind me.

After getting them settled down I went out to where Brian stood and waited for him to talk. “I know that you don’t have to listen to me, but, I think that you should take them to a hospital and your face probably needs stitches too,” he said as he looked at me.

“I don’t want the police to take them,” I tell him as I start to feel a little dizzy.

“I think it would be better if you took them to the hospital and filed charges,” he said as he moved closer to me, I could feel the heat from him and it was like safety and truth.

“If you take them then if they call social services you can explain it to the girls, if the cops come and snatch them it will just be more stress,” he reasons. I know he is right

"Okay, I think you’re right. Would you go with us?” I ask quietly.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t dream of sending you alone.”


	9. Suburban Secrets

“Where are your parents?” the nurse asked as she looked over the ID that I had given her. I was so scared that at any moment my father or mother would show up. 

“The last time I saw my father he was passed out on top of me and I don’t know where my mother is,” I tell her. I watch her shake her head and write the information down. Brian is standing there holding Kara; she is still just staring and sucking her thumb. She has not spoken since I first saw her.

“Why don’t you and your sisters come with me,” she said as she moved from behind the counter. I looked at Brian and he smiled at me, I wonder about his past. It must have been horrible for him to want to help me and my sisters so badly.

“Go Justin, I’ll be here when you come out,” he said to me. I followed the nurse down the hallway with Kara in my arms.  
**  
“Who did this to you?” the doctor asked as he stitched up my face. I thought of the many times that I had had this question asked of me, I thought of all the pain and fear.  
 _  
“I am gonna tell the police on you,” I had said. I was eight years old and I thought that the police were the essence of goodness; it had never occurred to me that some of them were as bad, if not worse, than my parents. I did not have time to brace myself as my father moved across the room and grabbed me by the neck. He pulled me close and spoke with all the assurance of a man who had everything to lose._

_“And what are you going to say, you’re just as a stupid ass kid and no one believes kids. If you call the cops they will take you away, and just like a puppy in the pound when no one comes to get you, they will kill you,” he had told me as I felt my last reserves of air dwindling. I tried to pry his hands from my throat as my feet searched for ground._

_“If you ever tell anyone what goes on in this house I will slit you open from your throat down to your stomach,” he told me._

_“So will I ever have a problem out of you Justin?”_

_“No.”_

_“No…what?” he demanded as his grip got tighter._

_“No…daddy,” I croaked out. He dropped me to the floor and went back to reading his paper._  
  
“Justin, Justin, are you okay?” the doctor asked as I zoomed back into focus. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said as he continued to stitch my face.

“It was my father,” I said and it floated on the air, I was afraid that if I spoke any loader he would appear. ‘Speak of the devil’ kept running through my head.


	10. Suburban Secrets

The room had gone silent after my revelation as the doctor finished the stitches and cleaned me up. He moved to look over my sisters and when he shined the light in Kara’s eyes he became very concerned. “How long has she been unresponsive?” he asked me. 

“The last time I heard her talk was a couple of days ago,” I told him as I looked at Lacey who nodded her head in agreement.

“I think she may be in shock,” he said as he paged another doctor. I watch as the other doctor entered the room and checked her over; he pulled the sides of her gurney up and started to wheel her away. 

“Hey, where is he taking her?” 

“Your sister is in shock, she appears to be dehydrated and her pupils are unresponsive,” he told me as I sat back down.

“Justin, you are eighteen years old and I can’t tell you what to do but your sisters are underage and I have to call the social worker to come and talk to you,” he said. I nodded my head to show that I was following everything that he said. “I also have to call the cops to report the alleged abuse.” I could feel my blood run cold at the word alleged.

“Can my friend in the hallway come in here?” I asked hoping that he would allow it.

“Of course he can, I’ll ask him to come in,” he said as he left out to call the social worker and the police. 

“Justy, are they going to take us away?” Lacey asked as she clung to me. 

“I don’t know but I bet it does not get better from here,” I said as Brian came through the door.

“What did the doctor say?” 

“He said that he has to call social services and the police to report the ‘alleged’ abuse,” I tell him. I watch as he processes the information. I love that about him, I noticed it right away. He is always processing what is told to him, examining it from the first word to the last, and weeding out the bullshit. 

“That is probably the best thing, at least they would not have to go home, not that foster care is any better,” he says as he whispers the last part. I watch as he delves inside himself.  
 _  
“The minor is hereby ordered into foster care, all rights of the parents are terminated. The minor is now a ward of the state of Pennsylvania,” the judge had said as she banged her gavel._

_I was never more scared in my life but I knew better than to show it, Jack had taught me that lesson early. I never showed my emotions, ever. I would be tough and I would be strong. I watched from the window of my room as all the other boys came and went, some being adopted and some running away._

_I walked quietly to my sessions with my therapist and sat quietly as she told me all these stupid things. I never believed a word she said until the day she spoke my language. “I read your updated file yesterday, your father was a real asshole,” she had said, I sat up in my chair faster that light and leaned forward._

_“I was waiting for you to cut the bullshit,” I had told her. I was thirteen years old and I had no time for her games. I needed the truth and she had just given it to me._

_“He was an asshole,” I said smiling for the first time. It was the beginning of a great relationship._  
  
“Brian, do you think everything will be okay?”

“When the waves settle I think everything will be fine,” he said as he leaned forward and kissed me softly. I felt the crack that rumbled through his foundation.


	11. Suburban Secrets

I cannot believe that he just kissed me, I feel like I am floating. I suppressed the urge to smile and throw-up all at the same time. The connection between us exists on another plane, the seconds that our lips touched felt like eternities divided by infinity. We broke apart just as the social worker graced us with his presence. 

“Hi, my name is Jake Harper,” he said as he shook my hand and then Brian’s. I was so nervous, I had no idea what to expect. I sat next to Brian as he asked us so many questions about our family, I watched as Lacey cried when he questioned her about our mother. I held onto her until the questioning stopped. 

“Justin, you do know that the police are going to take your parents in for questioning after we talk, right?”

“I know and I don’t care. What is going to happen to my sisters?” 

“They will be placed in foster homes,” he said. “I know it’s not the best solution but right now it is the only legal option,” he said and I sucked in all the air I could. I felt Brian tighten his grip around me. 

“Are they going to be together?”

“I don’t know. Lacey is okay, for the most part so she will be placed into foster care and when Kara begins to show signs of improvement she will be placed also. There is no way of knowing if that will be in the same home.” The realization hit me that I had just broken up my whole family.  
**  
“Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, could you please accompany us downtown to be questioned,” the officer asked nicely. He saw the rage that the man had boiling just under the surface and the smell of whiskey was prominent. The police car in his perfect neighborhood surely was not helping, especially since it was currently occupying his driveway.

“What for, somebody pissed cause I didn’t cut my grass or something,” he said as he almost lost his balance.

“No sir, you are being questioned about the alleged abuse and neglect of your three children. I urge you to come without a fight, let’s make this as easy as possible,” the officer said as his partner held open the back door for the Taylor couple. They sat stone faced in the back seat as the car pulled away. They pretended not to notice the faces of the neighbors that had stepped outside to look or the pulled back corners of curtains as others watched from behind closed doors.

“Do you mind me asking who is filing these false charges,” Craig asked as he sat in the back with Jennifer crying silently next to him.

“Sorry sir, all that information will be provided for you at the precinct,” the officer said. He hated these types of people, the ones who thought they were above the law, above prosecution.


	12. Suburban Secrets

“The charges look pretty legit and they have pictures to confirm the claims, not to mention the fact that your children are standing by the reports. Except Kara who has yet to speak,” Donald told them. As soon as Craig and Jennifer heard the charges they knew that they had to call their lawyer. He wasted no time in telling them that they were about to face the battle of their lives.

“It’s going to get ugly and you have to know that in the end of this you could be looking at the possibility of losing custody of your two daughters, and that’s on top of the jail time,” he said as he looked at the Taylor’s. Craig and Jennifer Taylor knew that they were in a tight spot, with very little room to move. They had been formally charged with child abuse and neglect and were placed on bail. 

“I say that for now you pay your bail and stay as low key as possible,” their lawyer told them as he gathered his briefcase and exited the room. “You will be notified when the bail goes through.”   
**  
I stood there and watched as Lacey was taken away by the social workers to be placed in foster care. Kara was down the hall hooked up to monitors and an IV drip. Lacey did not go quietly and the struggle only broke my heart more. Brian stood their stone faced with his hands at his sides, but I could see the pain that flickered just beneath. 

“Would you mind if I go and see Kara before we leave?” I asked him. I knew he would not mind but I asked anyway. 

“Justin you don’t have to leave, you can stay and sit with her,” he told me and I expected him to say as much.

“No, I have to go to work tomorrow, if I am gonna get them back then I have to show that I can take care of them,” I said as I straightened my shoulders and started down the hall.

I opened Kara’s door and walk inside. When I sit in front of her she doesn’t move or even blink, the only reason that I know that she is alive is because her chest is moving up and down. I push the hair out of her face, long dirty blonde locks that reach all the way down her back. ‘I like it long’ she would always say. 

“Hey stinkbug, I know you’re in there somewhere. Mommy and daddy are not gonna hurt you anymore, you’re safe and can come out whenever you get ready,” I told her. I leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead as the tears rolled down my cheeks. I sat in the room and listened to her breathe I felt Brian as he slipped a hand onto my shoulder. 

“I should have known that something was really wrong, I didn’t know. I should have seen it,” I tell him.

“You had a lot that you were dealing with, there is no way that you could have known that the last time he hurt her would send her into shock. It was a fluke, an accident. If it is anyone’s fault it is your parents.”


	13. Suburban Secrets

I watch Justin as he looks out the window of the loft and I can see the hardness that has already begun to set in. I was the same way, so young and carefree, until the first fist connected with my face at the age of five. The shell began to take over then and when I met Justin I felt the edges begin to rise for the first time, I lost a little of my outer shell and I barely know him. I walk up behind him and wrap my arms around him. I feel like we have always been together, which is strange considering our age difference. 

“So Justin who I barely know but have more of a connection to than anyone I have ever met, tell me about your life,” I say as I feel him take a deep breath and turn in my arms.

“I can do better than tell you, I can show you,” he says moving away from me. He looks into my eyes as if searching for something; he must have found it because he started to take off his jacket and his shirt.

“Justin…you don’t have to do that,” I say trying to stop him. I know that he is moving on pure emotion.

“I want to show you,” he says as the shirt comes all the way off and lands on the floor. I stare at him and see nothing but a beautiful boy, until he stepped into the moonlight that flooded the loft. The bruises and scars were anything but few and far between, they were all encompassing leaving no piece of flesh without their black and blue kiss. I reached out to touch him and he quickly stepped away. 

“This is from when my father found out that I was graduating early,” he said as he pointed to a bruise that had long ago been healed. 

“This is from a week ago when I did not place the trash cans in the right spot…this is from when I came home and started my homework before mowing the lawn…all the new ones…are from when he caught me blowing my next door neighbor behind the tool shed, I never saw him again and that was four days ago,” he says as the tears hit the hardwood floor. I pull him closer to me and hug him tight, I can feel him shake as he lets go of eighteen years worth of secrets. He has not looked at me since he got here; I know his thoughts are with his sisters. 

“What do you say we call in sick tomorrow and figure out what we are going to do,” I tell him. ‘When did he and I become a ‘we?’ I have never had the desire to get to know someone before I fucked them. ‘Maximum amount of pleasure, minimum amount of bullshit’ I think before I push it out of my mind.

“Won’t you get in trouble doing that?” he asks and for a second I forgot he was here, that’s how natural he feels. He becomes part of me.

“No…I own the company, remember?”


	14. Suburban Secrets

I added more to Chapter 14, it is now a little longer so make sure you read it again, LOL.

* * *

Brian’s POV

I wake up from a not so peaceful sleep and as my eyes scan the sofa for Justin. I see him drawing, leaned up against the brick wall below the window, it’s still dark out. He has such strength in such a small body. He wants to fight for his sisters and I know he is determined. He must not sleep that much, I wonder when the last time was.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I say breaking the silence and startling him. I watch the pencil as it rolls from his grasp.

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” he says as he gets up and stands at the entrance to the bedroom. I feel my body whisper for him to come closer.

‘Now is not the time,’ I tell myself. ‘When is it ever the right time?’

“You didn’t wake me; I was never a really good sleeper. I learned quickly that sleep was definitely not good for my health,” I tell him as I grab a cigarette and motion for him to come and sit. He flops down on the bed and I don’t know why but I am glad that his spirit is not completely broken. 

“Why aren’t you a good sleeper? I would figure that you sleep well in this big bed,” he asks as he sits cross-legged on the duvet. I moved to sit up and take a drag on the cigarette before he snatches it from me and takes a pull. I feel my eyebrow start to rise and he laughs quietly. 

“Your smile lights up a room, you know that?” I tell him and watch as he blushes.

“So, Brian who I just met the other day but am already in your bed, tell me about your life.”

“That’s a drama of Shakespearian proportions,” I tell him as I think of where to begin. 

“My dad hated me from the start, he never wanted me. My mother was not worthy of the uterus she carried around, she was a drunk who I think at times forgot she had children. We were never very well off and I think that only made them more pissed. The first time my father hit me I was five years old. He told me that I should not mix the colors in the play dough, after his fist connected with my face I never touched the stuff again, even the smell is too much for me to take,” I tell him, I did not even realize that he had moved to rest up against me. 

“I think that between the both of us we have a pretty fucked up past,” he said as he examined my hand. I love when he touches me, his skin is like velvet. I smooth my other hand over his pale skin and feel the electricity course through me.

“Yeah…or a damn good possibility for a book deal,” I say and that seems to open his flood gates of laughter.

“Yeah…I guess your right,” he says as he catches his breath. We are silent as our hands roam over each others skin. I feel the base of the scar that goes from his cheek to the bottom of his neck. 

“You never told me how this happened,” I say and I can feel the sobs as they develop in his chest. “Don’t cry,” I say as I wipe the tears that have started to fall.

**  
Justin’s POV

‘You can trust him, he will not hurt you,’ I tell myself as my hand wondered to the scar.

“I have never talked to anyone about this scar before,” I tell him as my fingers nervously scan the length. I really want to tell him but it is so hard to bring up old shit, shit that needs to be buried.

“You can tell me if you want, I want to know” he tells me and I believe him. Mostly because he says it in such a dismissive manner, like he wants to know but he could care less if I decided I didn’t want to tell him. I love that, it makes me feel normal. 

“I got it when I was eleven. My dad was drunk and had beaten me up pretty bad. When he was finished and walking away I was stupid enough to think he was far enough away. I said that I was going to run away, to no one in particular, but he heard me, he heard me loud and clear. I don’t think I have ever seen someone turn around so fast; he grabbed me by the throat and lifted me off the ground. I could feel the blood rushing to my face and I thought I was going to die. He leaned in close to me and said ‘You ever leave this house I’ll find you. I will find you and I will kill you,’ and then he sliced me from the cheek all the way down. I remember screaming so hard and loud, until he punched me in the mouth. I lost three teeth that day but luckily the dentist was able to put in really nice replacements,” I tell him with a sarcastic smile as I stop and take a deep breath. He hands me a tissue and for a moment I am confused.

“You’re kind of a mess,” he says as he looks at me and smiles. I took the tissue and cleaned my face up. I got myself together and the squeeze that he gave me let me know that I was expected to finish with the story. I closed my eyes and started again.

“I think all the blood scared him because he released me when it started to flow over his hand, I just felt like I was gonna faint. You could tell that he didn’t know what to do, he was scared shitless. He picked me up and carried me to the bathroom and sat me on the counter. He cleaned the wound with hydrogen peroxide and vodka, that was fun and it hurt more than death but I was too afraid to cry. Then he used a needle and thread to sew it back up himself. I went to the dentist two weeks later, and it all was dismissed by my dad saying I had gotten in a fight with a much bigger boy,” I tell him as I nervously flex my hand in and out. I haven’t felt this raw and open in a long time; I usually just swallow my emotions, not even Lacey and Kara know all of these details.

“No one questioned his story?” he asked me as he grabbed the hand that was flexing in and out. I felt a calm wash over me. I opened my eyes and looked at him. 

“You don’t question money,” I tell him as I stare out into the darkness of the loft, the moonlight playing with the shadows. It feels so big and overwhelming now. I was barely aware of the tears as they fell. Brian pulled me closer to him and I looked at him through the tears. He pressed him lips to mine and I was floating. It was so warm and safe; it just felt loving and right. I lost all my inhibitions and crawled onto his lap, straddling him and kissing him deeply. I can feel his hands press into my back, pressing me closer.

“Mmm…Brian, I want you inside me,” I say when our lips part. I watch as his eyes sparkle for a moment, thinking.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to do anything too soon,” he says. I answer him by standing on the bed with my legs still on either side of him and pull off my shirt and pants, lifting my legs up one at a time to release the pants. I sit back on his lap and assault his mouth with my own, apparently it was all the encouragement he needed. He lifted up as I reached for his waistband and pulled them all the way down and off. His cock was throbbing against mine as we ground together, hands roaming and memorizing and tongues dueling.

He pushed me back on the bed and lay on top of me, running a hand down the side of my face. “You are beautiful,” he says to me. I smile more than I ever have as he reaches over onto the nightstand and grabs a condom and a tube of lube.

“Go slow, this is my first time,” I tell him and watch as he nods his head and leans over to take me into his mouth. 

“Ohhhh…my god,” I moan out. His mouth is so warm and I am on fire. He kissed his way back up my body and took my lips into his once again. He wasted no time in getting me ready as he put some lube on his fingers and inserted one at a time. I was writhing and bucking off the mattress with the sensations. Suddenly he pulled his fingers out and leaned down close to my ear.

“Are you ready?” he asks me as he rolls the condom on. I nod my head ‘yes,’ I am as ready as I am ever gonna be. He spread my legs farther and lined up with my waiting hole, pushing forward almost before I could register the movement. I gasped and sucked in all the air I could and released it and when the tension drained from my muscles I felt him slide in completely and I felt drugged. He moved within me and I could feel my brain trying to remind my lungs to breathe. He started to make the strokes long and deep, hitting against my sweet spot with every plunge.

“Brian, Brian I…am…gonna cuuuum,” I managed to get out as he slammed into me quickly, making the long strokes short and very deliberate.

“Cum for me baby… cum for me,” he said as I arched to meet his thrust. He wrapped his hand around my cock and the mild touch was all I needed. I spilled my seed all over us and shuddered as the wave of my orgasm brought Brian to his and his seed filled the condom within me. He collapsed on top of me as he rode his orgasm to a finish, his member throbbing inside me, trying to empty its contents fully. I breathed deep and swallowed, my mouth is so dry.

“That was amazing,” he said into my ear as he kisses my cheek. I couldn’t help but smile, I was on cloud nine. No thoughts of bad things, just the feeling of Brian.

“Yeah,” I said sleepily. He pulled out of me slowly and got rid of the condom. I suddenly felt so empty, incomplete. He lay back down and pulled me on top of him. We fell asleep that way, hearts beating as one.


	15. Suburban Secrets

I open my eyes and look at Brian’s face; I can feel the happiness radiating from my body. I watch Brian as his eyes flutter open and I smile at him, revealing all of my insecurities. “Hey,” I whisper softly, I really don’t want to disturb the atmosphere.

“Hey,” he says as he looks at me and glides a hand down my face, smoothing his hand down my arm where he joins his hand with mine. I laugh on the inside at the small gesture; it erupts on the surface in a bright smile.

“I really wish we did not have to go to work today,” he says as he lets go of my hand and pushes the duvet off, sliding his legs over the edge of the bed. 

“Yeah, do you mind if I take off early so I can go and see Lacey and Kara?” I ask him. 

“No, you should go and see them,” he says as he gets up and heads to the bathroom.

Five hours later I am hard at work on the preliminary boards for a new campaign. I am so heavily engrossed I do not hear Brian come into the room. “Shouldn’t you be going now?” he asks as he comes and stands next to me, looking at the boards and rolling him lips into his mouth. “They look really good so far.”

“Thanks,” I say. “Yeah, I should be going. I never notice the time when I get into my art,” I say as I gather my things. 

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

**

I have not seen Lacey in over a week; it took that long just to get the permission from the judge. Kara is still unresponsive. I am nervous as I stand in the meeting room of Lacey’s foster home. The bruises on my face and body are starting to become a distant memory.

I stop swimming inside my head when I see the door crack open a bit; I am the only one in the room so I know it is for me. I see Lacey come into the room slowly and quietly before she looks up and sees me standing here.

“Justy, I miss you so much. Why didn’t you come and see me before?” she asks as I let her go and we sit down.

“I wanted to be here, but I could not come until the judge said I could,” I tell her. She nods her head and I know that I am forgiven when she hugs me again. 

**  
“I haven’t seen Justin around, have you guys seen him?” Debbie asks as she places the food in front of the guys. They all had the same question on their minds but none of them were brave enough to venture into that territory. Everyone but Brian answered with a quick ‘No,’ the silence that radiates from Brian’s side of the table draws the attention of everyone. 

“Where is he, you little shit?”

“Right now he is visiting his sister at her foster home,” he says very nonchalantly. She can tell already that he is already gone, head first over the ledge.

“Where has he been staying?” She asks him as she sits down.

“I let him stay with me,” he says, giving all this information in a very monotone voice. She watches as all the guys give each other knowing looks before departing for work, leaving Brian to sit in the booth with her. 

“So…did you fuck him yet?” she asks him, knowing full well that that was not his only motivation…at least with this kid. He smiles at her as he puts the coffee cup back down.

“This time Deb I think I might be ready for more,” he said as he drinks the last of his coffee and grabs his coat. He leaves a generous tip and walks out of the door.

**  
“I don’t want to hear this shit; I want this fucking cleaned up and swept under the rug. Do you fucking hear me?” Craig says, his temper clawing at his veins.

“Everything is not that simple Mr. Taylor,” his lawyer states.

“Bullshit, I did not bust my ass to get brought down by my kids. I want this shit taken care of fast,” he says.

“Craig, you need to calm down,” Jennifer says quietly trying to rein in her husband. He glares at her and she immediately shuts her mouth. 

“Fix it and I mean fix it right fucking now. You pay off whoever you need to pay off, we are not staying in jail, we are not. Do you understand me?”


	16. Suburban Secrets

It has been three months since the charges have been dropped. The state failed to provide enough proof to send the case to trial. Enough money and a few phone calls can fix anything. The judge ruled the findings inconclusive and dismissed the case. Kara is finally doing better, although she has not been released yet, and Lacey has been having trouble adjusting. 

Everyone knows what happened and the pieces of the tainted puzzle and the webs of lies are swept under the rug, never to be heard from again. No one ever talks about what happened, they look and they speculate but the subject is never discussed in the company of others. Craig and Jennifer don’t have that luxury; they need to deal with the situation, quickly and permanently. The seeds of anger and revenge are growing within them like a virus, spreading to their vital organs and multiplying. 

**

“I love it,” I say as I look around the apartment. I have been working with Brian at Kinnetik and am finally able to afford my own place. Brian has offered to help me but I insisted that I do it on my own. I need to do this on my own.

“I think it’s a little small. You don’t think it’s a little too small?” Brian asks me as he leans against the closet door. The apartment manager is in the kitchen, restlessly waiting for my decision. This is the fifth unit we have looked at. 

“It’s not too small, it has three bedrooms and a bathroom and it’s in a good neighborhood, close to a school and everything. Plus, there are only three of us Brian,” I say to my tall leaning brunet. “Plus, I can afford it,” I say smiling. He nods and rolls his tongue into his cheek.

“If you like it, then sign a lease for it. I think it is a great place. I was just concerned about the size,” Brian says as he pulls me in for a kiss, we release and hold each other close. “Are you absolutely sure?” he asks me again. I smile a little to myself. It has been an interesting couple of months living, working and basically breathing Brian. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Yeah,” Justin answers. “I am very sure.”

“Ok, then we better go tell him before he has a fucking heart attack,” Brian says as we leave the bedroom. The manager perks up immediately when he sees us coming.

“Well, what’ll it be? Do you like it?” he asks excitedly. He really wants to get the lease signed.

“Yeah, I’ll take it,” I tell him. We follow him out of the apartment and to his office where we go over the paper work and the lease. Brian is co-signing and he is asking more questions than me. When he slides the lease over and I take the pen in my hand I can’t help but think that steps one and two of my plan are complete. I found a job and an apartment. ‘Now,’ I think to myself, ‘On to step three.’


	17. Suburban Secrets

“Hey Sunshine,” I hear Debbie yell as I walk through the door of the diner. I breathe in deeply before she traps me in a crushing hug.

“Hey Debbie,” I say when she lets me go. 

“We’ve missed you these past couple of weeks. Where have you been?” She asks as I slide into a booth.

“Oh, Brian didn’t tell you? I enrolled in P.I.F.A. Between going to class, working part time and...” 

“Fucking Brian,” she finishes for me. I turn a shade of red and smile.

“And spending time with the girls I have just been really busy,” I tell her.

I see,” she says. “Well, lets get you some food before you waste away,” she says as she takes my order and leaves. When my food comes I immerse myself in eating and trying to do my homework at the same time. I am so caught up in what I am doing that I don’t even see Emmett slide into the booth with me. 

“Hey Sweetie,” he says. I almost leap out of my seat when I hear his voice.

“You scared the shit out of me Em,” I say as I quickly recover.

“Sorry,” he says. “So, what have you been up to cutie?” He asks as he gives his order to a waitress. I fill him in on everything that has been going on.

“Wow, so you have a full plate. I myself am hard at work too. The business is doing really good,” he says. I really like Emmett; he always manages to bring a smile to my face. We talk for a while about things and I tell him all about my classes. 

“How are your sisters?” he asks. I smile as I think about them and then I answer Emmett’s question. 

“They’re good for now but the separate investigation that Child Protective Services was doing is over. They are saying that the girls are going to have to go back to my parents. I think they are scheduled to be returned at the end of the month,” I tell him. I have loss my appetite so I push my food around on my plate.

“What are you gonna do?” He asks me as he takes a drink of his lemonade.

“I am going to sue them for custody. I already had Melanie draw up the papers. She said that since I have a place, a job and am going to school I have a pretty good chance. Plus, I might have something that makes them think twice about challenging me,” I tell him with renewed confidence and a smirk.

“Ooo...yummy, do tell,” Emmett says as he claps and leans in across the table.

“I have things,” I tease. I can almost see the drool pooling onto the floor around him.

“What things do you have? What, tell me!” he is almost shouting. I take a sip of my water and decide to stop torturing him.

“I have tapes, loads of them. I have recordings and journals documenting it all,” I tell him.

“No shit, why didn’t you say anything before?” He asks me. I have asked myself that same thing so many times before.

“I thought the cops would handle it but, I guess I was wrong. I guess I’ll have to do things the rich wasp way,” I tell him. I gather my things and move to get out of the booth. “I gotta go. Brian is getting back from his business trip tonight,” I say as I give him a wink, kiss Debbie and leave the diner. Now the ball is in my court and I am not going to play fair.

* * *

Big thanks and hugs to Carly, my wonderful beta. If anything is wrong it's her ass.


	18. Suburban Secrets

The site won't let me fix certain problems in previous chapters. I am still trying. I will not cave to THE MAN. Everything from here on out should be okay though.

* * *

I straighten my back and knock on the front door of what used to be my house. I shift my weight from foot to foot as I wait for someone to open the door. I take a deep breath when my mom swings the door open and before she can speak I push past her, walking quickly to the living room. “What are you doing here?” She asks me. I look past her as I see my dad coming out of the kitchen. 

“What are you doing in my house? Get the fuck out of here,” he says. He walks right up to me and I swallow my fears. I am so scared, and I don’t want him to know it. “I said get the hell out.” He grabs me by the collar and tries to drag me back toward the front door.

“I want you to give me custody of the Kara and Lacey,” I spit out and his grip on me is suddenly slack. I take the opportunity to turn around and face him. 

“We already got your papers, we intend to fight you. I am not giving custody of my daughters to some fag,” he tells me. The smell of whiskey on his breath is unmistakable. I look over at my mom and for once I see defeat in her eyes, she does not look like she wants to fight anymore. She looks like she just wants to sleep.

“Craig, maybe we should…”

“Shut the fuck up Jen,” he says sharply. She sits down on the stairs and watches us as we stand there, face to face, neither one of us backing down. I have never stood up this long in my father’s presence, never. “You think you can just walk in here and demand that I let you take my daughters from me? I will never make it that easy for you. If you want them… you are going to have to fight for them.” I smile and take a step back, pulling my book bag from off of my shoulders. 

I empty the contents onto the floor and stand perfectly still, smiling at him. “What the fuck is that?” My mom is up off the stairs and creeping toward the small pile of things on the floor. 

“Oh, my god,” she says. She hands my dad one of the marked tapes as she opens one of the notebooks that I have brought with me.

“Those are tapes and I don’t think I need to tell you what’s on them. There are so many more, and there are also more journals too,” I say. My father looks at the tape in his hand and then back at me. “Thanks for the camcorder. The only thing that I ever asked for that you bought,” I say with a smirk. I had begged for that camcorder and to shut me up he bought it. Partially because his friend was visiting and he didn’t want to leave marks on us during their trip. It was the best thing he ever did.

“You son of a bitch,” he says. He is seeing red and on instinct I take a step back, toward the door. My mom is silent, tears falling down her face, she looks almost remorseful.

* * *

Big thanks to my beta Carly. She is the best.


	19. Suburban Secrets

“What did they say after you showed them the tapes?” We are lying together in Brian’s bed after four extremely heated rounds of fucking. We are sweaty and cum from both of our bodies is sticking to us.

“My father called me a son of a bitch,” I tell him. He laughs at me and I know he is thinking the same thing that I did at the time. “My mom was kinda silent. I think she was actually starting to feel bad.” Brian gets up from the bed and walks into the bathroom, turning on the shower.

“Yeah, well, one moment of being decent doesn’t take away years of her being a fucking bitch,” he says as he steps into the shower. I lay here for a few minutes thinking about what he said. I know he is right but I cannot help but to feel a little sad. She is my mother; I just can’t stop loving her. I get up and join Brian in the shower. The heat feels good washing over me. “You never answered my question. What did they say about giving you custody?”

“My dad was pissed, he did not want to give in, but then my mom starting having an all out fit and eventually… they signed the papers.” Brian turns me toward him quickly and asks me to repeat myself. “They signed the papers,” I tell him again with a huge smile on my face. 

“Just signed them for you, no bullshit?” He asks. I shake my head and continue to smile.

“No bullshit,” I tell him. “All I have to do now is wait while Mel has the paperwork processed. She said that she was going to try and move the process along as fast as possible.” We get out of the shower and start to get dressed. 

**

“I am so happy for you baby,” Emmett tells me. He throws his arm around me and squeezes me tight before letting me go and disappearing with Ted onto the dance floor. 

“So, are you really ready to raise two little girls all by yourself?” Ben asks me as he leans on the bar. I look over at him and take a drink from my beer. “It’s not going to be easy, especially with you going to school and working.” 

“I know, I have thought about all of that,” I say. “But, it’s all worth it.” Ben smiles and drinks some of his water. 

“So, do they know yet?” Michael asks. I shake my head ‘no’. Brian comes back from the bathroom and snakes his arms around me, kissing my cheek before moving over to lean on the bar. He orders a drink and turns around with a double, drinking it quickly before putting the glass down and moving to grab my arm. 

“I don’t want to tell them until everything is final,” I say. Brian pulls me away from the guys and into the heart of the moving room. For the few hours that we are here, wrapped in the rhythm of the music and the pulsating rhythm of each other everything else… disappears.


	20. Suburban Secrets

“Brian, the boards for the Fields account are ready,” I say as I come onto his office. He is sitting behind the desk staring down at the phone. “What’s wrong?” I move around the desk and take the phone from him. I press it to my ear and when I hear the dial tone I hang it up. Brian is still staring straight ahead. I can see by the look on his face that he is a little lost and also a little pissed. “Who was that on the phone?”

“My mother,” he says and that’s all he says. Brian told me about his parents so I can see why her calling would not make him the happiest person on the planet earth. I sit on the edge of his desk and look over at the computer screen. The screen saver is a version of the Kinnetik logo that I designed and I almost laugh. “What did she want?”

“She wouldn’t say. She just asked if I would meet her for lunch tomorrow. I can’t imagine what she could possibly have to say that she thinks I might want to hear.” He leans back in his chair and looks up at me. He moves so that he is in front of me. He moves my legs so that he can lean in between them.

“Well, at least you’ll be in public, so she won’t cause a scene,” I say. He smirks and makes a small grunting noise. 

“Yeah, somehow I don’t think the old bitch would let something like other people keep her down.” He tosses all thoughts of her to the side as he stands up and crushes his lips to mine. I open my mouth and let him in. Our tongues swirl around each one another, tasting and licking. 

He moves away from my mouth and kisses down my jaw and neck as he unbuttons my shirt. I work quickly at his pants and pretty soon we are both naked. He moves down and captures me inside of his warm mouth and I almost fall off the desk. He sucks until I am on the edge of the cliff before moving away from my throbbing member.

“Fuck, don’t stop,” I pant out. Brian reaches into his desk and pulls out a condom and some lube. The papers on his desk go flying as I lean back on the desk, quickly preparing myself for penetration. I am writhing on the desk as I finger fuck myself. I am watching Brian stroke his hardened member through my lust filled eyes and when he pushes my hand out of the way I whimper.

He steps up to my body and leans over me, kissing me hard and grinding our cocks together. He sucks on the skin at my hip and I know from the duration and intensity that there will be a rather sizable hickey there tomorrow. 

He stands up and hooks my legs over his arms, pulling me closer to the edge of the desk. He leans forward a little and places his hands on my hip, pushing into me in one fluid motion. I struggle to catch my breath as he pauses for a minute and backs himself up from the ledge of his impending orgasm. I let out a full breath and when he feels me relax he starts to move, pounding into me hard and fast. 

I start to moan as I feel my body start to lose contact with my mind. “Oh, GOD, Fuck me… fuck me… FUCK M…” I am unaware of how loud I am until I feel Brian’s hand move up to cover my mouth. He pounds into me and I can hear his muted grunts and moans. He drops down on top of me and sucks on my swollen nipple. I sit up as his hands slide under me, squeezing my ass. I wrap my arms around him as he sucks on my neck, his hand finally trusting me enough to move from my mouth. 

I feel myself lift from the desk and in a flash we are on the floor, and I am on top. I let my full weight drop down onto him and I feel his dick slide all the way back in. He is thrusting up as I push down and it takes everything in me to remind myself to keep breathing. I feel my balls start to demand release as Brian wraps his warm fingers around my shaft and starts to pull. 

I come in waves, all over his chest, hand and my legs. I feel him as he makes four more thrusts and allows himself to jump off the cliff. I can feel the spunk as it fills the condom and as I come off of my high I lean forward onto his chest. He stays in my a little longer before grabbing on to the rim of the condom and pulling out. He ties it off and tosses it into the trashcan. “Do you want to come with me?” He asks after a few minutes.

I don’t know what to say. “Yeah, if you are sure you want me to come,” I say. I want to give him an out.

“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t sure. Plus, maybe the site of us together will give her a heart attack.” He starts to laugh and so do I. He is so weird sometimes. I feel him getting hard again and I look down at him. He has an evil smile on his face.

“What do you say Sunshine, you up for round two?” 

‘Hell Yeah.’


	21. Suburban Secrets

I have come to the conclusion that Joan Kinney is one scary bitch. I have been sitting across from her for the better part of thirty minutes and I feel like I am crossing the frozen tundra. 

She refuses to look at me. I have noticed so I am sure Brian has too. “What exactly did you want?” Brian asks. I am glad he finally said something, the silence was killing me.

“Brian, your sister is getting divorced,” she says. I am staring at the necklace around her neck. It is a diamond encrusted cross. I wonder how much she paid for it. She looks like the kind of person who hides money. 

“What the fuck does that have to do with me?” Brian asks. I watch his mother’s hand as it flies up to rub on the cross. 

“Brian, please, language.” She looks around and moves closer to the table. She opens her mouth to speak and then looks over at me. Yeah, my blood just froze solid. What a fucking bitch.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I say standing up. Brian gives me a look and I know what he is saying. He is telling me that I don’t have to leave, but he needs to talk to her and get it over with and it is obvious that she does not plan on talking in front of me.

**

Brian’s POV…

“How old is that… boy?” She asks me. I lean back in my chair and look at her.

“He is old enough,” I say. I can tell that she is about to launch into a speech about hell and repentance. I don’t want to hear it.

“You really should not be involved with that… that… child.” She takes a drink from her glass and I watch the ice move around inside the liquor as she lowers the crystal back to the table. 

“His name is Justin, and he is none of your fucking business,” I tell her as quietly as possible. There are people at the tables surrounding us. “Now, what does Claire getting divorced… again, have to do with me?” She looks at me like she is amazed I asked.

“Brian, she is your sister. She could use your love and support and…”

“And let me guess, my money?” I finish for her. “Fuck her. I am not giving her one cent,” I say. 

“Brian, she is your sister, your family.”

“My sister,” I say with a laugh. “Yeah, she was such a good sister that she had me questioned by the police.” I sit up in the chair. “And I seem to recall you being there too. Now you both want me to forgive and forget, like one big happy fucking family? Well, fuck you… and fuck family.” I say. I stand up and drop some money on the table.

**

Justin’s POV…

“Your mother seems really nice,” I say as we lay on my bed in a haze of sex. Our limbs are still tangled together. Neither of us is ready to move.

“Yeah, she is a real sweetheart,” Brian says as he reaches over and grabs a cigarette. He lights it and watches as the smoke moves through the air. “So, I heard that Mel got the judge to process the paperwork ahead of schedule.”

“Yeah, I am so excited and at the same time I am terrified,” I say as I sit up and look over at Brian. “I mean, what am I supposed to do with two little girls?”

“You are supposed to do the best you can, and hope you don’t fuck them up too much,” he says with a laugh. I hit him in the arm and lay on top of him. 

“I never thought shit could change so fast,” I say softly. He runs his fingers through my hair and I close my eyes.

“Yeah, that’s life.” I can feel his arm move and I can feel his chest as he inhales more smoke. Pretty soon I am sleeping and it all feels right.


	22. Suburban Secrets

“Hey!” I scream as Lacey flies into my arms. Kara is walking slowly down the stairs. She is moving around more and more but she still is not talking. The doctor says to give her time, and she will talk when she is ready. I let go of Lacey and pull Kara into my arms. She hugs me back and that’s enough for me right now. 

“Let’s go home,” I say as I wave at their foster mother. 

“Is this your car?” Lacey asks. She climbs into the backseat and Kara gets in beside her. I close the door and open the trunk to put the few bags they have inside. 

“Yeah, it’s my car. I bought it a few days ago. It’s not brand new, but it’s new to us,” I say as I pull away from the foster home and head to the apartment. Brian said he wanted to give us some time to bond. I know he just wanted to go out with Michael and probably fuck someone.

“Justin, what school are we going to go to?” Lacey asks. I tell her all about her new school and about my new school, she wants to know everything. I tell her about all the guys and Debbie. “Wow, so… it’s almost like we got a whole new family,” she says. 

“Yeah, a whole new family to go with a whole new life,” I say. She sits back in the seat and looks out the window, finally taking everything in. She is just like me, she can talk for hours. 

I hear snoring from the back and I know they are both sleep. I pull up in front of my apartment building and before I open my door I look back at Kara and wonder what I can do to get her to start talking again.

I get out the car and open the trunk. “Hey, need a hand?” I turn around so fast that Brian has to catch me before I land on the ground.

“Jesus, you scared the shit out of me. What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask. I hear the car door open and close and I see my sisters looking at me. 

“Hey guys,” Brian says and Lacey smiles and waves at him. Kara stands slightly behind Lacey and holds onto her hand. Brian pretends like he does not notice, he just keeps talking. “I got you guys a present, let’s go up and see.” He helps me with their bags and some bags I got from the grocery store. 

**

“Brian, what’s going on?” I ask when I see all the boxes in the living room. He smiles at me and walks down the hall to the girl’s rooms. They each have their own room. They have never had their own room before. 

“I figured since you were starting a whole new life you needed a whole new wardrobe and then I realized that you needed something to hold the new wardrobe,” Brian says. He opens both doors at the same time and lets the girls walk in. I stand in the hallway looking into the two rooms.

“Holy shit, Brian, Fuck,” is all I can say. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do,” he tells me. We watch the girls as they explore their new rooms. Brian has bought clothes and clothes and clothes. Furniture, toys… everything. 

**

“They really like their rooms,” I say to Brian as he lays next to me, fully clothed and ready to leave. He is trailing his hand down my chest and I am trying to will my cock to relax. He knows that I am losing the battle. 

“I’m glad.” He places a kiss on my lips and looks at the clock. It’s after two in the morning. He gets up and buttons his pants. “Someone took tomorrow off,” he says.

“I sit up and pull on a shirt. “Yeah, someone has to make sure that everything is ready for school,” I tell him as we walk to the door. We kissed for days until we finally break apart and he leaves. I lock the door and make my way back to my room, checking on the girls on my way.

**

“You’ll be fine. You are going to do a great job and I am sure that everyone will like you.” I look over at Brian and smile sarcastically. “What? Isn’t that what you said to Lacey when she got on the bus?” 

“She is a little girl, I am in college,” I say as I lean against the side of the car. Brian reaches out the window, touches the top of my head and shakes it a little.

“So, doesn’t matter, the same rules still apply,” Brian says. I grip the straps of my portfolio tighter. The bag around my shoulders and my portfolio are heavy. “Now, go show them how smart you are,” he says in a falsetto voice.

**

Brian’s POV…

This is great, just fucking great. “Claire, what a nice surprise,” I say as I move past her and toward my office. She gets up, following me.

“Brian, I need to talk to you,” she says. I sit down in my chair and she sits across from me. The tension is thick.


	23. Suburban Secrets

Brian’s POV…

Debbie opens the door and moves back as Justin and his sisters come in. “Hey Sunshine, glad you could make it,” Debbie says. I stay where I am on the couch holding Gus. I am not surprised when Lacey comes over and hugs me and kisses Gus. We took them over to meet Gus, Lindsay and Melanie a few days ago. Kara just comes over and sits as close to me as possible. I have noticed and I think Justin has also. 

Lacey moves around the room talking to everyone before settling in front of Emmett.

Lacey is just like Justin, she folds into the middle and becomes the sparkle in everyone’s eye. Kara is different. She observes everything from the outside. She let’s everyone move around her while she soaks it all in. She reminds me of Vic sometimes. 

Justin has been trying so hard to get her to open up and smile and laugh.

He says that she smiled more in the house than she does now. I told him to give her time. I look at Justin and he locks eyes with me and smiles. “Mr. Brian,” I hear and the voice is small and shaky. I look over at the small girl, trying not to draw too much attention to her. 

“Did you say something Kara?” She looks up at me and reaches out a hand tentatively touches Gus’ smaller hand. He giggles at her.

“Can I hold the baby?” She asks. I smile and tell her to sit all the way back on the sofa. When she is situated I sit Gus in her lap. She starts to laugh and smile with Gus. Everyone is watching, without watching. “He is very cute,” she says softly.

“Thank you,” I say. I turn my body so that I can make sure that Gus does not fall. Justin comes over and sits beside me. I turn and look at him. The smile on his face is priceless. 

Lindsay comes over to change Gus and feed him his bottle. “Can I help you Ms. Lindsay?” Kara asks in a whisper. Lindsay nods her head and reaches out to help her off the sofa.

“Sure you can sweetie,” Lindsay says. We watch as they walk up the stairs. Justin kisses me on the lips. 

“What was that for?” I ask. He just smiles.

“She is talking, and she knew Lindsay’s name,” he says happily. ‘She knew my name too’ I want to say, but I am not that anal. 

“Yeah, she was in there listening all the time. It is only right that a Kinney man would pull her out of her shell. No one can resist us,” I tell him with a smirk.

* * *

Again, I beg forgiveness for the changing of tenses early in the story. For some reason the site won't let me fix it, but believe me, I am painfully aware of it. LMAO.


	24. Suburban Secrets

Brian’s POV…

“Brian, the layouts for Frothman are finished and ready for your approval and the art department needs the final word on the designs for the Smith account,” Cynthia tells me as she puts the notes on my desk. 

“Good, tell the art department to change the font on the boards for the Smith account. I want them centered and tell them to try and make it look like they were done by someone who has a fucking brain,” I tell her as I look over some papers. 

She writes down the message and taps her pen against her thigh. “I want to see the finished product for the Frothman account. I want it to be perfect. I want him off my ass.” I look up at Cynthia and she has a smile on her face. “No comments,” I say as I look at her. 

“I didn’t say a thing,” she says as she turns to leave the office. I concentrate on the work on my desk and try to keep my mind off of Justin. 

**

Justin’s POV…

I can’t concentrate on my painting. I can feel the professor’s eyes burning into me. He walks around all the easels, smiling, frowning and giving his opinion. I swallow and close my eyes, trying to get my body to relax. He approaches my easel and comes around the front, his glasses hanging off the edge of his nose. 

He pulls them off and steps a little closer to the canvas. “Very good show of emotions. It’s so raw… dark,” he says as he looks at my painting, half finished and still wet.

I lick my lips and nervously move the paintbrush back and forth through my fingers. “Thanks,” I say with a slight twinge of apprehension. He looks over at me and smiles. 

“Mr. Taylor, would you mind staying for a few moments after class? I’d like to speak with you.” He doesn’t wait for me to answer. He walks away, continuing his scrutiny until the time in his class is up.

**

“You seem to doubt yourself. You don’t trust your own abilities,” he tells me as he sits on his desk staring at me. I shift uncomfortably, the weight of my portfolio starting to make its presence known.

I nod my head, knowing he is right. “I know,” I say reluctantly. He gets up off of the table and walks past me. 

“Come here Mr. Taylor, I want to show you something.” I put my portfolio down and follow him. He pulls out a folder and sits it on the table in front of me. He opens it up and takes out drawing after drawing, painting after painting. “These are the works of some of my best students; young men and women who have gone on to excellent careers within the art world.”

“I don’t… understand,” I say. He looks over at me and smiles, again.

“You are better than all of them, combined. But they have one thing that you don’t have,” he tells me. I look at him, my face blank and my hands perched in my back pockets.

“What’s that?”

“Confidence; you doubt your abilities. It is your greatest attribute… and your worse flaw. They have confidence. They believe that they are the best. They know it. You don’t… and that will always hurt you.” We talk for about an hour before I leave the classroom, with a lot to think about and an invitation to show my work in the next exhibit his gallery is hosting, clutched tightly in my hand.

I walk over to my car, searching for my keys. I stop in my tracks when I lock eyes with my mother. She is standing in the parking lot, right next to my car and waiting. 

“What are you doing here?” I ask as I approach my car and stand on the opposite side, as far away from her as I can be. My eyes scan the parking lot, looking for my dad.

“I wanted to see you,” she tells me. I want to laugh at her, but I can’t, I don’t.

“Bullshit,” I say. She moves toward me and I take a step back. “Don’t bother, it’s not like we are going to hug.” She looks hurt and I don’t care. She moves forward again and I move around the car. I open the door and pull my portfolio from around my neck. 

I don’t ask her how she knew which car was mine. I can guess. 

“Justin,” she says, her voice shaking. “Can I see your sisters?” I look at her. She looks broken. She looks sorry. She looks like she has lost anything and everything in the world that she has ever worked for. 

I get in the car and close the door behind me, turning the engine on. She walks around to my side of the car and leans against the closed window. “Please, Justin, please.” I put the car into gear and drive away. I don’t even bother to look in the rearview mirror. 

I know she is there. I know she is there feeling the same way I… we, felt every time she turned her back on us. I know she is feeling that same feeling, and the thought of that… makes me smile.


	25. Suburban Secrets

Justin’s POV…

“I bet she was not too happy about being left in the middle of the parking lot,” Brian says as he leans against the counter. I pull two beers out of the fridge and hand one to him before sitting on one of the stools, facing him. 

“I don’t care,” I say as I take a long drink. Kara and Lacey are curled up next to each other on the futon cushion in Brian’s living room, blankets kicked to both sides. 

Brian walks out of the kitchen and over to the sofa. I flop down next to him and let out a loud sigh. “I was so fucking scared when I saw her.” Brian doesn’t say anything. I can feel his chest rising up and down as I lean against it. 

“It’s okay to be scared,” he tells me as he takes another drink. I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I nod my head. “So, tell me about this exhibit.” I look up at him with a confused look on my face. “I saw the paper,” he says.

“Professor Ellis wants me to enter my work in this exhibit at the art gallery he owns, but… I don’t know,” I say.

“What the fuck is there to know?” Brian asks sarcastically. “You’re good, so why not just put your work in the show and forget about it?”

“It’s not good enough.”

“Yeah it is,” Brian tells me as he reaches over and grabs a cigarette. He lights the end and I watch as the smoke maps a trail through the air. Kara moves slightly and settles back into place, her arm draped over Lacey’s head. 

I sigh and sit up, turning to face Brian. “What if I put my work up there and no one likes it? What if Professor Ellis realizes he made a big mistake and….” Brian silences me with a kiss. He pulls back and looks at me. 

“You worry too fucking much. If he thought you sucked he wouldn’t have asked you in the first place. And fuck everyone else. What the fuck do you care if they think your work is good or not?” Brian asked as he got up. “All that matters… is what you think,” he says as he goes to get in the shower. 

I sit on the sofa and think about what Brian said. I look over at Kara and Lacey and smile. I have made it this far on sheer luck. So, why stop now?


	26. Suburban Secrets

Brian’s POV…

“Brian, haven’t seen you in a while.” I look up at Deb, a small smile on my face. She is chewing her gum, waiting for me to explain my whereabouts. 

“Coffee… please,” I say as I look at her. She goes to get the coffee pot and comes back over as fast as she can, sitting down across from me as she pours me a cup. I look over at her with one eyebrow raised. “Can I help you?”

“Sunshine’s mother… umm, Jennifer, she was in here the other day. Asking questions about Justin and those beautiful girls,” Deb says. I process the information and nod slowly. 

“What did she want?” I ask as I add sugar to my coffee. My cell phone starts to ring and I look down at the familiar number. Deb goes silent, a look of annoyance creeping into her face as I answer the phone. “Kinney.”

“Brian,” Lindsay says. I can hear Gus screaming in the background. “Melanie is out of town on business. Don’t you think that now is the _perfect_ time to come and spend some time with your son?” I look at my watch. I told Justin I would pick his sisters up for him. 

“Yeah, sure, why not,” I say. I hang up the phone and look at Debbie. “Look,” I say as I stand up and toss some bills on the table. “If she comes back don’t tell her anything.” I leave the diner and head toward Kara and Lacey’s school. 

**

I see the two girls walk out of the double doors and I get out of the car. Lacey reaches me first and smiles. “Hi, Brian,” she says with a smile. “Is this your car? I thought you had a Corvette.”

“I do, but we all can’t fit in it so I brought this one,” I say as I tap the side of the Jeep. I open the door and help them get in. “Hello Kara.” She looks up at me and smiles.

“Hi, Mr. Brian,” she says in the softest voice that I have ever heard.

“Where are we going?” Lacey asks as we pull away from the curb and into traffic. I look at her in the rearview mirror and smile. She is so much like Justin. 

“We’re going to see Gus,” I tell her and she squeals happily, telling us all about how cute he is. 

“I like Gus’ hair,” Kara whispers in the backseat, a huge smile spread across her face until she notices me looking and covers her smile with her hands. 

**

“Brian,” Lindsay says as she flings the door open. “Oh, and you brought guests. Hello Girls,” Lindsay says happily. “Would you like a snack?” Both girls look at me and I shrug.

“Knock yourselves out,” I tell them. Lindsay kisses me and points to the living room. “Your son is in there.” I smirk and walk into the living room. “We girls will be back after we have had our tea and crumpets,” she says playfully.

I walk over to the playpen and pick up my son. He smiles up at me and I kiss him. “You seem like you are being the perfect man to me, nice and quiet,” I tell him jokingly. He giggles and I smile. I see Kara walk into the room with a cookie in her hand. She climbs up and sits next to me. 

“Do you want to hold him?” She smiles almost as Bright as Justin and I sit Gus in her lap. I watch the two of them together and I smile. 

“Gus is very pretty,” she says suddenly. “He looks just like you.” I look down at her smiling face and nod, just slightly.

“Thank you,” I tell her. We stay at Lindsay’s for hours. The daytime turns to night and Lindsay feeds the girls some dinner. 

“Thanks for coming over and playing with him,” Lindsay says as she gives the girls hugs goodbye. I shrug and step off of the porch.

“No problem. I love to spend time with him,” I tell her. “And the girls love him too.” She nods and closes the door as I walk to the car and drive away.

Lacey falls asleep before we hit the second light, but Kara stays up and I have to strain to hear as she starts to talk to me. “Are you and Justin going to live together?” She asks. 

“I don’t know,” I tell her as I stop at another red light. She seems to think about my answer before pressing forward. 

“I think you should. Justin loves you a whole lot.” I look at her in the rearview mirror. She is looking at something on her hands. “Do you love Justin too?”

“Are you going to run and tell him if I answer that question?” She shakes her head ‘no’ as I turn onto Justin’s street. I pull into an open parking space across from their building and cut the engine. 

“Yeah, I love him,” I tell her. She climbs over her sister so that she can get out on the sidewalk side of the car. 

“I already knew that.”


	27. Suburban Secrets

Justin’s POV…

I take a deep breath and let my brush move over the canvas, no destination in mind, running on pure emotion. I don’t hear the door open or the footsteps as they walk up behind me and stand staring. “I like it.”

“HOLY FUCKING SHIT! Brian, you scared the shit out of me,” I say as I hit him in the arm. He laughs and presses his lips to mine. I hold my hands out of the way so I don’t get paint on him. “What are you doing here?”

“I though you might be hungry,” he says as he kisses me again. My stomach starts to rumble as he dangles the bag of food in front of my face.

“Yeah, I am kind of hungry.” I cover my canvas and clean up all of my supplies, putting them back in the case. I move over to the tables and sit next to Brian. “What’d you bring?”

“Thai,” he says. “Is that a piece for the exhibit?” Brian asks. I look at the canvas and smile. 

“Yeah, I think its going to be good. It should be done by tomorrow,” I tell him. He nods and takes a bite of his chicken. 

**

“Kensington Inc. loved your designs. They signed a three year contract with Kinnetik,” Brian tells me. 

“Are you serious?” I ask him as I adjust myself in the seat. He nods again and smiles. “Brian, that’s a multi-million dollar account, congratulations,” I say enthusiastically. ‘Oh my God, my commission for the design,’ I think as I look at Brian.

“Yeah, you got it. The commission is huge, huge,” Brian says as he smiles at me. I launch myself into his arms and kiss him. He deepens the kiss and we are soon well on our way to christening the art department at PIFA. 

I tear his shirt off of him and make fast work of removing my pants while he unbuckles his and lowers them, just enough.

I straddle his legs and quickly impale myself on his rigid cock. I take a deep breath and relax. I lower myself and he pushes up, burying himself deep inside of me. I wrap my arms around him tightly as he starts to move, thrusting inside of me. I am almost over the edge, my body slumped and leaning on his for support. 

I grip the back of the chair as I lower myself and start to shoot. Brian follows me soon after and as I sit there panting and trying to bring myself down he nuzzles my neck with his head. He captures my lips in his and kisses me, his tongue dueling with mine. 

I pull back and rest my forehead on his. “That was incredible,” I say. Brian moans and I lick my lips, tasting his heat… his sweat.

“Move in with me,” he says. I think my heart just stopped.


	28. Suburban Secrets

Lacey’s POV…

“Do you live with your mom and dad?” Jake asks me as we stand in the line. Mrs. Harpin is in the front of the class trying to get Matthew to behave. She is always trying to get Matthew to behave.

“No,” I tell his as I look around the classroom. “I live with my brother.” I don’t like to talk about it with anyone. Jake starts to laugh and I can feel tears start to well up in my eyes.

“Hahahaha, you don’t have a mom and dad,” Jake says as he points and laughs at me. I don’t stop to think and before Mrs. Harpin gets to me I reach back and launch my fist at his face. I make direct contact and he falls to the ground, crying. 

“Lacey Taylor,” Mrs. Harpin says with a screech as she reaches us and helps Jake up off the floor.

**

Justin’s POV…

I walk into Lacey’s school and up to the secretary’s desk. I was in the middle of a very important layout at Kinnetik. “Yes, may I help you?”

“Yeah, I was called for Lacey Taylor,” I tell the pudgy secretary. She nods her head and points to the bank of chairs behind me.

“You can have a seat. The principal will be with you soon.” I sit down and nervously clasp and unclasp my hands. The door to the principal’s office flies open and I stand up as a skinny little red head with the beginnings of a black eye walks out of the office with his mom and dad. 

I can see another set of tiny feet and I know that it’s my turn next. “Mr. Taylor? I’m Francis Wallors, the principal.”

“Yeah, call me Justin, please,” I say. She nods and adjusts her glasses on her face.

“Justin,” she says, correcting herself. “Please, come in.” I enter the office and look over at Lacey. She has a very blank look on her face and her arms are crossed in front of her. 

“Now, Ms. Taylor, would you like to tell your father what happened?”

“Brother… and no,” Lacey answers. I look over at her and raise my eyebrow. She lets out a loud sigh and folds her arms tighter. “He was making fun of me. He said I didn’t have a mom and a dad,” Lacey says and I slump in my chair as she starts to cry.

I pull her into my arms and rub her back. “That’s okay, you have me,” I tell her. She starts to hiccup as she nods her head to agree with me. 

**

“She punched him in the face?” Brian asks. I nod my head and drink the rest of my beer. “Fucker deserved it.” I move over to the sofa and sit down. I remember the first time I sat on this sofa. It seems like so long ago. 

Brian sits down next to me as we wait for the sitter. We are going out dancing and drinking. I lean my head on Brian’s shoulder and sigh. “Having second thoughts about living with me?”

“No,” I say as I look out the window of his loft. “Just thinking of where I would be if I hadn’t taken a chance and gone out the window.” 

“Yeah, well, I’m glad you took a chance,” he tells me. 

“Yeah, me too.”


	29. Suburban Secrets

Lindsay’s POV…

“Oh sweetie, your work is so good,” I tell Justin as I stand next to him in front of his biggest piece. He takes a drink of his champagne and smiles at me.

“Thanks,” he says as Morgan Lorton from the Hartford Gallery in Michigan comes over. 

“Lindsay, how have you been?” He asks. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt… but would you mind if I borrowed the talented artist?” Morgan asks. I smile at Justin and then at Morgan.

“Not at all,” I say. Morgan and Justin walk away, talking intensely about art and future exhibits. 

**

Justin’s POV…  
Four Months Later…

“What else did he say?” Brian asks as he carries another box into the house. We finally were able to agree on a house. It’s close enough to the girl’s school without being too far from Babylon and cutting us off from everyone. “Did he mention prices?”

“Yeah, he says that all the paintings will go for no less than ten-thousand a piece,” I say as I help him carry in the sofa and sit down. Brian sits next to me and stares up at the ceiling. 

“Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I mean, you have all those pieces that you were painting just incase you got a show, so why not do this one? It’s practically all set up for you.” Brian gets up from the sofa and helps me too my feet. “Come on sunshine, just a few more boxes.”

“Tell me again why we did not hire a moving company?” I ask as I step out of the front door and walk down to the U-Haul truck and grab another box. Lacey walks out of the house and grabs another box of her things to take up to her room. 

“Because, a certain blond twink seemed to think that we could do it all ourselves,” Brian says. I laugh as I put the box on the counter and drop my head onto the cool marble. “So, move it.”

“Yeah, well, the next time I get a brilliant idea stop me, please,” I say as Kara walks by with her comforter dragging idly behind her, sweeping up the floor.

“Don’t worry, I will,” Brian says as he walks past me with another box. I smile at him and go to finish helping him.


	30. Suburban Secrets

Brian’s POV…  
Ten Years later…

“What are you doing?” I yell up the stairs as I tell Gus to tie his shoe. Kara comes down the stairs and looks into my face. 

“Why are you screaming? We were trying to get him dressed,” she says as she looks at me. She has inherited all of my attitude and cockiness, a fact that drives Justin and most of the boys at her school, crazy. 

“He was dressed when I left from upstairs,” I tell her as Lacey walks down the stairs. Justin walks down the stairs and I have to admit he looks good, really good. “Finally,” I say as he walks over to me and wraps his arms around my neck. We kiss until the chorus of ‘enough’ and ‘get a room’ breaks us apart. “You look hot.”

“So do you,” he says as he walks over to Lacey and hands her a twenty dollar bill. Kara picks up her kitten off the floor and plops down on the sofa. Gus goes over and plops down on the sofa next to her. Melanie and Lindsay are out of town for the next two weeks so he is staying with us.

“Don’t burn the place down and make sure your brother is still alive when we get back,” I say as Justin walks to get his jacket. “Remember, he goes to bed at eleven o’ clock. Roman is going to bring the pizza. After you get it close the door and lock it.”

“Geez, guys, we’ve stayed by ourselves before,” Lacey says as she sits on the other side of the sofa and picks up one of the other kittens. There are three in total. 

“Yeah, go,” Kara says with a smile. Gus is too busy setting up his game system on the TV to pay us any attention.

Justin’s POV…

The music is pumping and the bodies are writhing. We walk into the club, not bothering to stand in the line. Neither one of us looks older than the age we were when we met. We check our coats and I pull him into the middle of the dance floor. We move together and everyone else falls away. 

We are alone in the room. 

We have seen my mom and dad on the street or in stores sometimes. They are divorced now. My mom lives alone, and my dad has lived with lots of different women. 

I rest my forehead against Brian’s and kiss him softly, our hearts keeping time with the music. “What are you thinking?” I ask him as I look into his eyes, hazel, clear and deep.

“I’m thinking,” he says as he looks around the club and then back at me. “I’m thinking it’s perfect. No regrets…” he tells me as he runs the tip of his finger along the scar that adorns my face and neck, “And no secrets.”

* * *

Thank you everyone for reading, and waiting for the updates. I hope you liked it. 

Thank you to my beta. Again, I apologize for the changing of tenses and POV's early in the story. The site won't let me fix it, but I am still trying, LOL.


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